A digital pen or smart pen, is an input device which captures the handwriting or brush strokes of a user and converts handwritten analog information created using “pen and paper” into digital data, enabling the data to be utilized in various applications. This type of pen is usually used in conjunction with a digital notebook, although the data can also be used for different applications or simply as a graphic.
A digital pen is used in conjunction with digital paper to capture, store and transfer handwritten notes to a computer. For this purpose, a ballpoint pen refill, an infrared camera, a processor, a data memory and a battery are integrated in the pen. The infrared camera detects the movement of the pen on the dot matrix of the digital paper during writing. These vector data are stored in the pen and transferred to a computer via Bluetooth or a USB interface.
A digital pen is generally larger and has more features than an active pen. Digital pens typically contain internal electronics and have features such as touch sensitivity, input buttons, memory for storing handwriting data and transmission capabilities.
The input device captures the handwriting data, that, once digitized, can be uploaded to a computer and displayed on its monitor. The data can then be interpreted by handwriting software (OCR) to allow the digital pen to act as a text entry interface and be used in different applications or just as graphics.
Newer versions, such as the Pulse smartpen from Livescribe, also allow the recording of audio files while writing. These are linked to the notes, allowing the user to retrieve the audio file recorded at the moment when selecting the written notes.
Some pens are equipped with a digital recording device that allows to use them as intelligent Dictaphone. They can be used, for example for students to record the voice of the master while taking notes. Then you may hear a sound segment associated with a digital notebook area, playing area with the tip of the pen.
Digital pen is an information input device that captures handwritten symbols and user figures and digitizes them. Later they can be downloaded to the computer and displayed on its monitor. The data obtained with the device can be recognized using specialized software, used in various applications or as computer graphics.
Digital pens, as a rule, have more functionality than styluses. In contrast, the devices are equipped with internal electronics and have such functions as sensory sensitivity, function buttons, built-in memory, Bluetooth, and electronic eraser, the ability to use instead of a mouse or as a pointer. Some models are included in the configuration of graphic tablets, others use the technology Anoto, which allows you to record on digital paper or another surface, for example, on a board.
There are two types of digital pens, fundamentally different in principle. [Optical digital knobs] and [coordinate digital knobs].
The first are distinguished by the presence of a video camera built into the body of the camera, through which the lines that the user spends on paper are recognized and stored in memory. Usually, to use optical digital handles, you need special paper with markers or marks on it. Paper for modern smart grips can be made using a conventional high-resolution laser printer.
Coordinate digital pens appeared in the early 2000s thanks to the development of the Israeli company Pegasus Technology. They consist of a pen that writes on any surface and a receiver (the “main unit”) that is fixed to the sheet, determines the coordinates of the pen’s writing end (using two high-precision sonars) with an accuracy of 100-120 dots per inch, and remembers the coordinates of the points conducted lines (50-70 times per second).
The coordinate handles determine and store the absolute coordinates of the lines on the sheet, relative to the receiver. Therefore, when connecting to the computer port, most of the coordinate handles can be used as a simple one.
Due to the simpler arrangement of coordinate digital handles compared to optical handles, they are cheaper and are now more popular.
Type:
Accelerometer-based digital pens contain components that detect movement of the pen and contact with the writing surface.
Active pens, such as N-trig’s DuoSense Pen™, include electronic components whose signals are picked up by a mobile device’s built-in digitizer and transmitted to its controller, providing data on pen location, pressure, button presses and other functionality.
Position-based digital pens use a facility to detect the location of the tip during writing. Some models can be found on graphics tablets made popular by Wacom, and on tablet computers using Wacom’s Penabled™ technology.
Camera-based pens use special digital paper to detect where the stylus contacts the writing surface, such as those using Anoto technology.
Trackball pens use a sensor that is located on the pen to detect the motion of the trackball.
Application:
There are also programs that use full-text search algorithms for handwritten texts. This makes it possible to carry out a contextual search for large arrays of handwritten texts without having to convert them to a printed encoding.
The combination of digital pen, digital paper and a server that merges data with templates allows you to archive documents in real time without having to actually scan them. If the system is linked to a text recognition, input can first be checked for completeness and integrity before being transferred to backend systems.
Companies use digital pens to simplify and digitize previously paper-based business processes, such as Contracts, handover or acceptance records or evidence of traffic safety. Documents are prepared in such a way that data recorded by the pen can be merged with a template in a document-proof and audit-proof manner. Professional digital pens capture not only the typeface but also the contact pressure and the angle of inclination of the pen during the writing process, thus enabling graphological expertises.
The main advantage of digital pens over other input devices is the ability to input text in a way that is familiar to a person – handwritten. If the device is used autonomously from the computer, the entries are stored in the internal memory.
A digital pen is primarily a pen that can make notes on paper (the so-called “hard copy”). In this case, all the lines that you conduct on the sheet are stored in the memory of the pen (or the receiver that works with the pen).